Hi so we have a bunch of "barn cats" and the problem is they are so terribly lazy. When I go into the barn, the cats greet me with a chorus of hungry meows that could drive anyone crazy. we feed them(every so often)and after they eat, they sit around and sun themselves or snuggle in the straw. What on earth do you do to make those cats catch mice?:-x I'd like to add that if they want something to eat before "dinner time" they just tear open the horse and chicken feed bags and eat the grain! :(

deserthorsewoman

03-20-2013 12:03 AM

Feed them on a regular schedule. Then they'll start catching mice just for fun and entertainment. Just be prepared to get rid of the bodies;-), because they'll bring them as a "thank you" to whoever feeds them every day. I always had plenty of presents to dispose of........

wetrain17

03-20-2013 11:49 AM

Well, I would first move all feed so no animal can get to it. Then I would cut back on their food. They'll be hungry enough to start hunting. Ignore them when they won't leave you alone.

deserthorsewoman

03-20-2013 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetrain17
(Post 1966881)

Well, I would first move all feed so no animal can get to it. Then I would cut back on their food. They'll be hungry enough to start hunting. Ignore them when they won't leave you alone.

And exactly that is NOT the case. Only happy cats hunt well, unless it's a momma cat with kittens over 3 weeks old. If they have to make a living, they hunt, eat, then sleep. And hunt again, only, if they're hungry.
If they get fed, they hunt for sport...., much more efficient.

wetrain17

03-20-2013 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deserthorsewoman
(Post 1966945)

And exactly that is NOT the case. Only happy cats hunt well, unless it's a momma cat with kittens over 3 weeks old. If they have to make a living, they hunt, eat, then sleep. And hunt again, only, if they're hungry.
If they get fed, they hunt for sport...., much more efficient.

Meh, all the feral cats around here do a pretty good job at catching mice.

deserthorsewoman

03-20-2013 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetrain17
(Post 1966985)

Meh, all the feral cats around here do a pretty good job at catching mice.

Of course, they want to survive. But they wouldn't think twice, if supply is less abundant , to leave and find a better place. You feed them regularly, they'll stick around and get the less visible mice and new ones......I've seen that first hand, when a couple of mine went to another barn, with no feed....they stayed there for about a week, then they came back, because the BM there thought feeding them wasn't necessary.:-)

wetrain17

03-20-2013 01:24 PM

So based on your two posts, which is more efficient, hunting for sport or survival?

RitzieAnn

03-20-2013 01:34 PM

I have one cat in the barn. She adopted us at our last house. We started feeding her. I often get "presents" left for me. She gets wet food sometimes (usually when it's cold out, or if I feel nice. But she gets dry kibble otherwise. Just a small cat food can worth of dry kibble. One time per day, in the evening (usually we lock her in the barn at night, and every 8ish weeks she goes to the vet to donate blood, so we keep her on that schedule so I know exactly where she'll be in the morning when I pack her up :D)

Sometimes she is very needy and will mewo at me annoyingly. Usually though, she's a really good kitty. When she gets annoying, I put her outside. She scouts out the creek at the back of the property, and we see her carrying things in her mouth. She eats rats, if she finds them, and sometimes voles, but usually she just rips things in half and leaves them for me.

I was at a barn once that had like 8 cats. You had to hang blankets, because they would pee on them if you just folded them up & lef them on your hay or bench. That many was really annoying. They also had huge dishes of cheap crappy cat food, which I think aided them in being lazy.

Chevaux

03-20-2013 01:35 PM

I totally agree with Deserthorsewoman. It takes energy to hunt and if the cat doesn't have access to a regular supply of energy (ie food) then it reduces its activities to the lowest level to conserve what energy it does have and that means only hunting when hungry therefore ultimately more mice abound. My barn cats have access to dry food (mid range quality) 24/7 as well as a little canned stuff for supper and they hunt for the fun of it all the time - not only do they keep the mice population nicely contained, they'll take on the gophers in the summer (dogs love that because of the freebies they get - ick).

Saddlebag

03-20-2013 01:53 PM

Females are better hunters than males. My spayed female had free access to food, wasn't over weight and brought me gifts on an almost daily basis. As cataracts began to develop she'd sit on her perch, dead still and eventually a mouse would run by and meet it's fate.